I made this Easy Candied Orange Peel for a Panettone recipe, that I’ll be sharing soon. Of course I can buy candied fruit at the store, but it was fun to make these. I always have fresh oranges in the house and saving the peel is not an issue.

All you need to do is peel the oranges in vertical segments, then cut into thin strips (about 1/4-inch).

Then combine 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange peel. Cook for 40 minutes, until soft and sticky. Then drain well.

After that, the orange peel is drained and still sticky, all you need to do is roll the pieces into sugar. Let them dry for 1 day.

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two months. It is important that yo refrigerate or freeze the candied orange peel, because it will harden very quickly at room temperature (even the the best containers may leek air). If it hardens a lot, it gets unpleasant to eat and unusable for most baking projects.

This Candied Orange Peel looks so cute in these little glass jars. It makes the perfect stocking stuffer for foodies. You can also use it as a part of your holiday decor. These mini jars look so festive!

I’ll also be making some cranberry orange cookies with this orange peel next.

Cut a little from the top and bottom of oranges, then score the skin into 4 verticals segments and peel (leave white pith). Cut skin into 1/4-inch strips.

Combine 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, add orange peel. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it closely and if the water starts to evaporate too quickly, remove from heat earlier that the 45 minutes mark.

Remove from heat and drain well. Be careful, it is hot! Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Spread 2 cups of sugar over a large tray. Add orange peel and roll into sugar.